Muslim Rebels in Southern Philippines Abduct Police Chief

A government soldier fires a 60 mm mortar round on Sept. 16 towards Muslim rebels of Moro National Liberation Front in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.

Reuters

By Cris Larano and Josephine Cuneta

MANILA–Muslim rebels abducted Zamboanga City’s chief of police on Tuesday amid battling in the southern Philippines that claimed another three soldiers’ lives during rescue operations that freed more than 100 hostages.

Zamboanga City Mayor Isabelle Climaco said Jose Chiquito Malayo, the officer-in-charge of the city’s police department, was taken by men belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front, the Muslim group that attacked the southern Philippine city last week. She said security forces are trying to find the police officer.

“While we rejoice the rescue of 149 hostages, we are deeply saddened that Col. Chiquito Malayo is in the custody of the (rebels),” said Mayor Climaco in a statement.

Authorities said the latest soldier deaths occurred in the successful rescue of more than 100 hostages since late Monday, said Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, a spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Security forces – backed up with air strikes for the first time – stepped up offensive actions to free up villages the rebels had held since last week. It is unclear how many hostages the rebels still have. The hostages have been used as human shields.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, chief of the armed forces’ public affairs office, said nearly 70% of areas occupied by the rebels have been cleared by security forces and the military is hopeful the standoff will end soon.

Heavily armed National Front rebels attacked the southern city of Zamboanga, a major fishing and trading hub in the southern region of Mindanao, early on Sept. 9 with plans raise their flag at City Hall. Security forces have since contained them in several villages. The violence erupted as the Philippine government is about to resume peace talks in Malaysia with the largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. President Benigno Aquino III initiated the peace negotiations shortly after taking office in 2010.

A total of six soldiers have been killed, and 86 wounded. Three police officers, seven civilians and 71 Muslims rebels have also lost their lives in the standoff, which has forced nearly 70,000 people to flee their homes and seek the refuge of evacuation centers. Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas III, who has been in Zamboanga City since the standoff began last week, said that around 850 houses had been destroyed since the fighting started.

The military is also trying to verify reports that rebel leader Ustadz Habier Malik is among those killed.

The attack in Zamboanga City was launched by the National Front faction, led by Nur Misuari, who is increasingly at odds with the goal of peace. His National Front signed a similar peace deal with the government in 1996, which had raised hopes that a rebellion prompted by centuries of Christian migration into the previously Muslim southern Philippines would finally end.

Instead, the Islamic Front and other, more extremist groups with al-Qaeda connections, such as the Abu Sayyaf group, continued the fight. The 1996 peace deal was reached with the help of Indonesia.

Teresita Deles, the government’s Peace Talks adviser, said the government had asked Indonesia as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation last week to help find a peaceful resolution to the Zamboanga City incident. The OIC members gathered in Yogyakarta, Indonesian, last week at a meeting at which Mr. Misuari was expected to attend.

“None of the eight countries present offered a proposal. We understand from Indonesia that in the several times they received a message from the Misuari group last week, the only topic they raised was regarding travel arrangements to attend the meeting in Yogyakarta, until they asked for postponement of the meeting last Thursday,” she said.